Monday, May 31, 2004
Unless i am mistaken I believe I have enabled the ability to comment so hopefully I am one step closer to being accepted by bloggers all over the world. I have been trying to get some of the China pictures up on the web here but the files are quite big and they are taking too long. I am forever being delayed by my unbelievable incompetence with computers. Have a look at the spelling mistakes on yesterdays blog. Even my spelling is diabolical. I am quite jet lagged today for some reason. On Saturday into Sunday I slept very well but I went to bed at 3 in the morning last night and woke before 8 bright as can be. Now I am quite tired and ready for bed to be honest as it is after 11 China time and I feel I am back on it.
I said I would moan about travellers today but I am too tired to be that negative this afternoon. I have done nothing all day and am feeling like a bit of a waster really. You know the kind of day where you watch the un edited 24 hour version of Big Brother all day, well I am not watching big brother but I am having that kind of a day of you know what I mean. I really hate big brother which is funny because the final line of 1984 is the realisation that I truelly loved Big Brother. After being subjected to this programme for years it has not managed to conjure up this love that was beaten into the Character in the book. In fact my greatest fear (which is wasps) is quickly being taken over by a fear of one day being in the Big Brother house.
I think I will stop writing now as I feel I am going to say things I regret soon as I am too tired. My lack of mental capability usually gets covered up by some instinct in me to be rude and controversial when I feel like my intelect is lacking. So I would rather leave you with an honest display of my intellectual shortcomings than say something I will regret.
So goodbye
Des
www.desbishop.com
I said I would moan about travellers today but I am too tired to be that negative this afternoon. I have done nothing all day and am feeling like a bit of a waster really. You know the kind of day where you watch the un edited 24 hour version of Big Brother all day, well I am not watching big brother but I am having that kind of a day of you know what I mean. I really hate big brother which is funny because the final line of 1984 is the realisation that I truelly loved Big Brother. After being subjected to this programme for years it has not managed to conjure up this love that was beaten into the Character in the book. In fact my greatest fear (which is wasps) is quickly being taken over by a fear of one day being in the Big Brother house.
I think I will stop writing now as I feel I am going to say things I regret soon as I am too tired. My lack of mental capability usually gets covered up by some instinct in me to be rude and controversial when I feel like my intelect is lacking. So I would rather leave you with an honest display of my intellectual shortcomings than say something I will regret.
So goodbye
Des
www.desbishop.com
Sunday, May 30, 2004
Excuse me please.
I have been away and can only beg for your forgiveness as I was quite proud of the fact that I had been quite a good updater until now. I was even told by somebody when we started the site not to bother doing this as I would not be regular enough and that would bother the blogging community. By the way I wonder do most blogger types know that most people don't know what a blog is. As the website has become more popular more and more people are coming up to me asking me what a blog is. I am the worst person to ask because I am sure my definition does not live up to the standards set down by the International Blogging Commission. (IBC)
Anyway I am back from China and have begun to hand out the compulsory bucket loads of things that cost nothing and have no real purpose accept to appease everyone you know when you come home. You know if you don't people will be like "hey how come you never brought me back something that has no use that you had to haggle down from 20 us dollars to 10 cents over a half hour period". So I brought back loads of useless things so that people will know they are my friend. I bought some expensive stuff for people who I want to be my friend. For example I bought something expensive for a friend of mine who went to Asia last year and did not bring me back anything useless. I really felt like they must not like me as they knew the rule and they broke it. So now I assume that as they know the rules and know that I have in fact brought them something of value that they will have no choice but to like me according to the Souvenir for Friends Commission (SFC) guidelines, 2002.
So I have 5 days to remember that I am a comedian as I got quite detached from my life there for the last week and a half. I am a bit worried as Kilkenny is a big festival and I have a lot of gigs, yet I feel like I can't remember what I do anymore. This is not to put people off coming to see me it is just the truth. I am sure it will be fine I am just usually a bit more prepared. Though that is not really true as last year I had been working in Abrakebabra for a month up to 2 weeks before the festival and it turned out to be alright.
People always say to me when I return from holidays in an unusual place "I would say you got loads of material." What part of Holiday do people not understand. Comedy is a great job but part of it is shit and you do actually need a break sometimes. I do not base every action of my life under the pretence that there will probably some material in it. Incidentally most people I talk to are very uninteresting but they always say things like you are probably going to put this in your act now. NO I AM NOT you most uninteresting person you. I am not saying I am the most interesting person either but I do not think and never did think before I got into comedy that when talking to a comedian they were in fact turning my every word into comedy gold. I have very little material about China and most of what I do have has to do with going to the toilet which is not funny for 2 reasons.
1) Most of an audience have not had the collective toilet experience of China which has such a bonding influence that is overrides any desire to be grossed out.
2) While travelling in China all western people meet and discuss there toilet experiences down to the very detailed descriptions of their Poo. How its flowing, how frequent or un frequent it is. How solid, etc. So you get totally desensitized to any discussion about the topic. Unfortunately the average comedy audience has not had this desensitization process which means they will just get stuck on the disgustingness of it which is a road block to the eventual destination of laughter.
So I am still stick with needing a whole new show for the Autumn. Thank god my Show in Edinburgh is about Minimum Wage.
Anyway I will talk tomorrow about things that annoy me about Western Backpackers and the whole Travelling Scene.
Des
www.desbishop.com
I have been away and can only beg for your forgiveness as I was quite proud of the fact that I had been quite a good updater until now. I was even told by somebody when we started the site not to bother doing this as I would not be regular enough and that would bother the blogging community. By the way I wonder do most blogger types know that most people don't know what a blog is. As the website has become more popular more and more people are coming up to me asking me what a blog is. I am the worst person to ask because I am sure my definition does not live up to the standards set down by the International Blogging Commission. (IBC)
Anyway I am back from China and have begun to hand out the compulsory bucket loads of things that cost nothing and have no real purpose accept to appease everyone you know when you come home. You know if you don't people will be like "hey how come you never brought me back something that has no use that you had to haggle down from 20 us dollars to 10 cents over a half hour period". So I brought back loads of useless things so that people will know they are my friend. I bought some expensive stuff for people who I want to be my friend. For example I bought something expensive for a friend of mine who went to Asia last year and did not bring me back anything useless. I really felt like they must not like me as they knew the rule and they broke it. So now I assume that as they know the rules and know that I have in fact brought them something of value that they will have no choice but to like me according to the Souvenir for Friends Commission (SFC) guidelines, 2002.
So I have 5 days to remember that I am a comedian as I got quite detached from my life there for the last week and a half. I am a bit worried as Kilkenny is a big festival and I have a lot of gigs, yet I feel like I can't remember what I do anymore. This is not to put people off coming to see me it is just the truth. I am sure it will be fine I am just usually a bit more prepared. Though that is not really true as last year I had been working in Abrakebabra for a month up to 2 weeks before the festival and it turned out to be alright.
People always say to me when I return from holidays in an unusual place "I would say you got loads of material." What part of Holiday do people not understand. Comedy is a great job but part of it is shit and you do actually need a break sometimes. I do not base every action of my life under the pretence that there will probably some material in it. Incidentally most people I talk to are very uninteresting but they always say things like you are probably going to put this in your act now. NO I AM NOT you most uninteresting person you. I am not saying I am the most interesting person either but I do not think and never did think before I got into comedy that when talking to a comedian they were in fact turning my every word into comedy gold. I have very little material about China and most of what I do have has to do with going to the toilet which is not funny for 2 reasons.
1) Most of an audience have not had the collective toilet experience of China which has such a bonding influence that is overrides any desire to be grossed out.
2) While travelling in China all western people meet and discuss there toilet experiences down to the very detailed descriptions of their Poo. How its flowing, how frequent or un frequent it is. How solid, etc. So you get totally desensitized to any discussion about the topic. Unfortunately the average comedy audience has not had this desensitization process which means they will just get stuck on the disgustingness of it which is a road block to the eventual destination of laughter.
So I am still stick with needing a whole new show for the Autumn. Thank god my Show in Edinburgh is about Minimum Wage.
Anyway I will talk tomorrow about things that annoy me about Western Backpackers and the whole Travelling Scene.
Des
www.desbishop.com
Tuesday, May 25, 2004
In the absence of the main man (who’s chasing some tiger down a gorge in Southern China), Des has asked me – his cousin, Sinéad – to say a few words. I don’t really know what to say, though. It feels kind of weird blogging on someone else’s spot.
I was going to pretend to be him and admit to joining a Buddhist monastery somewhere in the arse end of China. Or, pretend to have been kidnapped by some mad group of crouching tiger types. But I don’t want to worry Eileen.
And I suppose I should probably take the opportunity to tell some embarrassing stories about Des. But it’s pretty difficult to embarrass Des.
For example, one story that you’d think would really get to him is the bed-wetting incident that occurred in our house once. It wasn’t a childhood accident, mind, but during his repeat leaving cert year.
So you’d think that a slag like that could be used as a weapon against someone. But no, not Des – he brings it up more regularly than anyone else. In fact, if he didn’t continue to remind us of it around the dinner table of a Sunday, it’d probably be long forgotten.
Instead, I’m going to just use this chance to tell everyone what a star Des is. He’s one of my closest friends in the world and he’s been a wonderful influence in my life over the past few years, and that of my daughter, Bella. He’s a great swimming buddy, a great listener and advice-giver, and I don’t know what I’d do without him.
Oh, and he’s getting better at fixing me up with his mates, too. Nice one, Des.
Love you, babe,
Sinéad
x
I was going to pretend to be him and admit to joining a Buddhist monastery somewhere in the arse end of China. Or, pretend to have been kidnapped by some mad group of crouching tiger types. But I don’t want to worry Eileen.
And I suppose I should probably take the opportunity to tell some embarrassing stories about Des. But it’s pretty difficult to embarrass Des.
For example, one story that you’d think would really get to him is the bed-wetting incident that occurred in our house once. It wasn’t a childhood accident, mind, but during his repeat leaving cert year.
So you’d think that a slag like that could be used as a weapon against someone. But no, not Des – he brings it up more regularly than anyone else. In fact, if he didn’t continue to remind us of it around the dinner table of a Sunday, it’d probably be long forgotten.
Instead, I’m going to just use this chance to tell everyone what a star Des is. He’s one of my closest friends in the world and he’s been a wonderful influence in my life over the past few years, and that of my daughter, Bella. He’s a great swimming buddy, a great listener and advice-giver, and I don’t know what I’d do without him.
Oh, and he’s getting better at fixing me up with his mates, too. Nice one, Des.
Love you, babe,
Sinéad
x
Monday, May 17, 2004
Greetings from Lijiang in the province of Yunnan in South West China. This is meant to be one of the most beautiful places in China. Unfortunately the weather is against us and it is quite overcast. This is an even bigger bummer as I am aware that Ireland is having the best weather. However we did have a great day yesterday visiting a Naxi village. They are a minority group in China. Very interesting Culture. Plus we cycled out and it was nice to get some exercise in. The town of Lijiang is like a fairytale and it is hard to believe that it is real at all. The old buildings and narrow streets divided by canals put even Venice to shame. It is situated some 1500 metres above sea level and surrounded by mountains peaking at over 5000 metres. The weather has taken away from the full effect but it is still amazing. There are so many cool little cafes and a few western people to hang out with. Linda has gone off to photo some Naxi woman and I am just chilling for the day. Got very cold and wet yesterday so I am not feeling 100 percent. Looking ofrward to just reading in some of these Cafes for the day and chatting to people.
Tomorrow we head for the Tiger Leaping Gorge. Though the weather may stop that. It is meant to be an amazing experience. It is a 3 day trek. Hope we don't die or anything. If it not too good on the rain front we will head to Lugu lake and spend 2 days there and come back for the trek.
Nothing much else to report. Can't stop pooing now. There is many western places in this town so I haad some porridge yesterday and some Muesli today which is really helping things. So that concludes the poo report.
Let you know how things go from here. tried put some pictures up but the computer was too slow and would not up load the pictures. Plus all problems come up in Chinese so you don't know what is going on when something goes wrong.
Talk soon
Des
www.desbishop.com
Tomorrow we head for the Tiger Leaping Gorge. Though the weather may stop that. It is meant to be an amazing experience. It is a 3 day trek. Hope we don't die or anything. If it not too good on the rain front we will head to Lugu lake and spend 2 days there and come back for the trek.
Nothing much else to report. Can't stop pooing now. There is many western places in this town so I haad some porridge yesterday and some Muesli today which is really helping things. So that concludes the poo report.
Let you know how things go from here. tried put some pictures up but the computer was too slow and would not up load the pictures. Plus all problems come up in Chinese so you don't know what is going on when something goes wrong.
Talk soon
Des
www.desbishop.com
Saturday, May 15, 2004
Just back from the great wall. It was a... great. Went with some Chinese guys Linda was talking to when she was photographing the hutongs. They took us on quite a hike but the reward was well worth it. Cloudy day but the scenery was breathtaking. It was not a part of the wall they have built back up and there was not another soul to be seen the whole time we were up there.
On the way back we stopped for some fresh spring fish. They take them out of the Spring right there and you eat them raw. Best raw fish I have ever had in my life. They get great pride out of telling you that Sushi is bullshit and this is the real thing. My appetite is returning and I have not had a chance to report to you that I am on a more regular basis now though have not succeeded today. Last night in Beijing tonight as we are heading south tomorrow. Going to come back to fly out though and might take a day at the end to do some shopping.
Absoulutely loving the trip now. The holiday of a lifetime. Looking ofrward to a bath now as we have not been home yet since the wall and my feet are soaking. Plus we are filthy. Not much else to say. Hope all is well back home and even though I am having a great time I can't wait for Kilkenny either. Lots of gigs fo rme I see from the website. Very exciting.
Des
www.desbishop.com
On the way back we stopped for some fresh spring fish. They take them out of the Spring right there and you eat them raw. Best raw fish I have ever had in my life. They get great pride out of telling you that Sushi is bullshit and this is the real thing. My appetite is returning and I have not had a chance to report to you that I am on a more regular basis now though have not succeeded today. Last night in Beijing tonight as we are heading south tomorrow. Going to come back to fly out though and might take a day at the end to do some shopping.
Absoulutely loving the trip now. The holiday of a lifetime. Looking ofrward to a bath now as we have not been home yet since the wall and my feet are soaking. Plus we are filthy. Not much else to say. Hope all is well back home and even though I am having a great time I can't wait for Kilkenny either. Lots of gigs fo rme I see from the website. Very exciting.
Des
www.desbishop.com
Wednesday, May 12, 2004
The bloggers of the world have caught me. I have to run. But I am out of breath and my stomach is sick and I have not had a poo in days. I try to hide but everywhere I turn there are bloggers staring at me in disgust. I hide behind the counter but I feel all the chinese eyes looking at me and although I know they just stare at all westerners I think they are all bloggers trying to link to my mind and let me know that I am letting the blogging world down. However they cannot communicate with me as my brain is not coming up on the first 2 pages of google and out of spite they won't go any further.
Can you hear my breathing....
Beijing is not safe. Deep in the hutongs behind the smells of dumplings steaming in doorways and hookers pretending to be hairstylists there are young chinese on the internet. BLOGGING. Letting the west know their little secrets about life in a one party state. Surrounded by smoke and inspired by an illegal blown up print out of a student standing in front of a tank they type (moveable) and come across a link to this blog which has no more links. NO MORE LINKS.
He has not felt such distress since finding out that MAO was a prick for the first time. How dare this Des Bishop betray the code.
He is looking for me and when he finds me he is going to feed me rice and gone off fish till I die as he knows I have not pooed in a week because he read my dead end blog.
Thanks to Gav all joking aside who has let me in on a few more secrets about blogging. Going to try to sharpen things up here. xie xie as they say over here. I came across his blog and he was discussing my own one. He was definitely not satisfied with my work to date so I have taken on board his criticism. However despite the sadness of me finding out because I googled myself AGAIN I have grown increasinly aware that on the net there is no where to hide. And.. and .. and (whisper) I am scared
Right on the corner of Tianimen Square now and I feel great. Even the fact that there is an internet cafe here where once they shot down students shows they did not die in vain. I know there are still loads of messed up things about here but that day definitely changed things. Waited a long time to see this place as I am obsessed about history. Especially the bits I was alive for!!!
Met loads of Irish by chance today. Had a nice lunch with some actors then bumped into a journalist I know. Not that much of a coincidence as I was expecting them. However just after we left them we bumped into Linda's best friends brother. WOW.
Got to go way too long of a post. Hope those who don't blog were not too bored by my attempt at blog humour. Forbidden City Tomorrow.
Des
www.desbishop.com
Can you hear my breathing....
Beijing is not safe. Deep in the hutongs behind the smells of dumplings steaming in doorways and hookers pretending to be hairstylists there are young chinese on the internet. BLOGGING. Letting the west know their little secrets about life in a one party state. Surrounded by smoke and inspired by an illegal blown up print out of a student standing in front of a tank they type (moveable) and come across a link to this blog which has no more links. NO MORE LINKS.
He has not felt such distress since finding out that MAO was a prick for the first time. How dare this Des Bishop betray the code.
He is looking for me and when he finds me he is going to feed me rice and gone off fish till I die as he knows I have not pooed in a week because he read my dead end blog.
Thanks to Gav all joking aside who has let me in on a few more secrets about blogging. Going to try to sharpen things up here. xie xie as they say over here. I came across his blog and he was discussing my own one. He was definitely not satisfied with my work to date so I have taken on board his criticism. However despite the sadness of me finding out because I googled myself AGAIN I have grown increasinly aware that on the net there is no where to hide. And.. and .. and (whisper) I am scared
Right on the corner of Tianimen Square now and I feel great. Even the fact that there is an internet cafe here where once they shot down students shows they did not die in vain. I know there are still loads of messed up things about here but that day definitely changed things. Waited a long time to see this place as I am obsessed about history. Especially the bits I was alive for!!!
Met loads of Irish by chance today. Had a nice lunch with some actors then bumped into a journalist I know. Not that much of a coincidence as I was expecting them. However just after we left them we bumped into Linda's best friends brother. WOW.
Got to go way too long of a post. Hope those who don't blog were not too bored by my attempt at blog humour. Forbidden City Tomorrow.
Des
www.desbishop.com
Tuesday, May 11, 2004
I had to post as quick as possible to tell you about the amazing time I have had since I last posted. First let me start at the end. We have just had a 2 hour back and foot massage and I feel like I am floating. Plus the whole thing cost 6 euros. It was the end to an amazing day. Now we are getting the 10:30 overnight train to Beijing and we are well and truelly satisfied. So I told you I was going to climb Tai Shan which means Mount Tai and it was alot higher than i thought. 1500 metres to be exact. The whole way up is steps and it is basically like climbing up stairs for a mile. At times it did not feel like it was worth it but what a place at the top. I made an offering of thanks to the God of the Azure clouds in the temple at the top and looked out over pure beauty. Now the only negative thing was that we stayed the night at the top to see the famed sunrise in the morning but the hotel we satyed at was a kip and I hardly got any sleep. The other negative vibe was that in the morning (4:30 to be exact)the place was covered in Clouds. However the consolation was the thunder and the lightning created from the storm that seemed to be below us.
We descended the mountain in the most amazing torential rain but got a cheap hotel in the city at the bottom, had a shower and a nap and have had the most relaxing day ever. Plus we sorted out the train ticket which was a problem yesterday as the computers were down. That might not seem like a big deal but do you know hard it was to figure that out when no one speaks English.
So back in the Internet cafe surrounded by young chinese men playing video games and talking to eachother very loudly. it the first time I have felt like I am back in Dublin.
Hope Beijing is good. Going to see Waiting for Godot. It is a Gate Theatre production and it is just a coincidemce that it is on so we are going to check it out. A little bit of ireland in Beijing. I swear I won't into an Irish pub.
PS Poo status
Only 1 in the last 5 days. Since we were sick.
Des
www.desbishop.com
and I am not checking the spelling
We descended the mountain in the most amazing torential rain but got a cheap hotel in the city at the bottom, had a shower and a nap and have had the most relaxing day ever. Plus we sorted out the train ticket which was a problem yesterday as the computers were down. That might not seem like a big deal but do you know hard it was to figure that out when no one speaks English.
So back in the Internet cafe surrounded by young chinese men playing video games and talking to eachother very loudly. it the first time I have felt like I am back in Dublin.
Hope Beijing is good. Going to see Waiting for Godot. It is a Gate Theatre production and it is just a coincidemce that it is on so we are going to check it out. A little bit of ireland in Beijing. I swear I won't into an Irish pub.
PS Poo status
Only 1 in the last 5 days. Since we were sick.
Des
www.desbishop.com
and I am not checking the spelling
Sunday, May 09, 2004
Hello to all and greetings from Ta'an in the provence of Shandong.
It has been quite a trip since I have seen you last. Sorry I have not been able to post as I have not been able to get to an internet cafe. I will just give you a quick summary of the early part of the trip as I will be in Beijing for a few days soon and will be able to post regularly.
First of all Leo and Alyssa from Abrakebabra are great and they are the best hosts ever. We stayed with them in jinzhou outside Dalian. They would not let us pay for anything which was amazing. They would get offended if you even attempted. Met their families and that was lovely. All of them are the nicest people. None of them speak english so we have been communicating physically most of the time which is quite comical. Most of the time we just laugh at eachother.
On day 3 as we had been eating with Chinese people quite freely we got food poisoning and puked for 24 hours. This included a trip to a chinese hospital where they all smoke everywhere and spit. But we are kind of better now though I have not been eating properly since out of fear as it was quite a horrible sensation.
It was sad to leave the others but you must move on. They were so good to us. I have the deepest admiration for Chinese now and I also have a much greater understanding for their mission in Ireland. The service here is amazing. They do everything for you. They even rack the balls for you when you finish a game of pool. They never seem to complain either. It makes me feel ashamed of my intolerance when I worked in Abrakebabra. On the flip side it makes me wonder what they must think of Irish people. However I will say this. They don't pick up their trays here. In fact they are dirty bastards in that respect. And the place stinks. When you are on the train they take out their smelly shit and start eating it. Then they spit on the ground and wipe it with their foot. With a sensitive stomach that bit has been tough. Anyway I must go and try to find someone who speaks english as we are having a hard time getting a train ticket.
Bye
Des
www.desbishop.com
It has been quite a trip since I have seen you last. Sorry I have not been able to post as I have not been able to get to an internet cafe. I will just give you a quick summary of the early part of the trip as I will be in Beijing for a few days soon and will be able to post regularly.
First of all Leo and Alyssa from Abrakebabra are great and they are the best hosts ever. We stayed with them in jinzhou outside Dalian. They would not let us pay for anything which was amazing. They would get offended if you even attempted. Met their families and that was lovely. All of them are the nicest people. None of them speak english so we have been communicating physically most of the time which is quite comical. Most of the time we just laugh at eachother.
On day 3 as we had been eating with Chinese people quite freely we got food poisoning and puked for 24 hours. This included a trip to a chinese hospital where they all smoke everywhere and spit. But we are kind of better now though I have not been eating properly since out of fear as it was quite a horrible sensation.
It was sad to leave the others but you must move on. They were so good to us. I have the deepest admiration for Chinese now and I also have a much greater understanding for their mission in Ireland. The service here is amazing. They do everything for you. They even rack the balls for you when you finish a game of pool. They never seem to complain either. It makes me feel ashamed of my intolerance when I worked in Abrakebabra. On the flip side it makes me wonder what they must think of Irish people. However I will say this. They don't pick up their trays here. In fact they are dirty bastards in that respect. And the place stinks. When you are on the train they take out their smelly shit and start eating it. Then they spit on the ground and wipe it with their foot. With a sensitive stomach that bit has been tough. Anyway I must go and try to find someone who speaks english as we are having a hard time getting a train ticket.
Bye
Des
www.desbishop.com
Hello to all and greetings from Ta'an in the provence of Shandong.
It has been quite a trip since I have seen you last. Sorry I have not been able to post as I have not been able to get to an internet cafe. I will just give you a quick summary of the early part of the trip as I will be in Beijing for a few days soon and will be able to post regularly.
First of all Leo and Alyssa from Abrakebabra are great and they are the best hosts ever. We stayed with them in jinzhou outside Dalian. They would not let us pay for anything which was amazing. They would get offended if you even attempted. Met their families and that was lovely. All of them are the nicest people. None of them speak english so we have been communicating physically most of the time which is quite comical. Most of the time we just laugh at eachother.
On day 3 as we had been eating with Chinese people quite freely we got food poisoning and puked for 24 hours. This included a trip to a chinese hospital where they all smoke everywhere and spit. But we are kind of better now though I have not been eating properly since out of fear as it was quite a horrible sensation.
It was sad to leave the others but you must move on. They were so good to us. I have the deepest admiration for Chinese now and I also have a much greater understanding for their mission in Ireland. The service here is amazing. They do everything for you. They even rack the balls for you when you finish a game of pool. They never seem to complain either. It makes me feel ashamed of my intolerance when I worked in Abrakebabra. On the flip side it makes me wonder what they must think of Irish people. However I will say this. They don't pick up their trays here. In fact they are dirty bastards in that respect. And the place stinks. When you are on the train they take out their smelly shit and start eating it. Then they spit on the ground and wipe it with their foot. With a sensitive stomach that bit has been tough. Anyway I must go and try to find someone who speaks english as we are having a hard time getting a train ticket.
Bye
Des
www.desbishop.com
It has been quite a trip since I have seen you last. Sorry I have not been able to post as I have not been able to get to an internet cafe. I will just give you a quick summary of the early part of the trip as I will be in Beijing for a few days soon and will be able to post regularly.
First of all Leo and Alyssa from Abrakebabra are great and they are the best hosts ever. We stayed with them in jinzhou outside Dalian. They would not let us pay for anything which was amazing. They would get offended if you even attempted. Met their families and that was lovely. All of them are the nicest people. None of them speak english so we have been communicating physically most of the time which is quite comical. Most of the time we just laugh at eachother.
On day 3 as we had been eating with Chinese people quite freely we got food poisoning and puked for 24 hours. This included a trip to a chinese hospital where they all smoke everywhere and spit. But we are kind of better now though I have not been eating properly since out of fear as it was quite a horrible sensation.
It was sad to leave the others but you must move on. They were so good to us. I have the deepest admiration for Chinese now and I also have a much greater understanding for their mission in Ireland. The service here is amazing. They do everything for you. They even rack the balls for you when you finish a game of pool. They never seem to complain either. It makes me feel ashamed of my intolerance when I worked in Abrakebabra. On the flip side it makes me wonder what they must think of Irish people. However I will say this. They don't pick up their trays here. In fact they are dirty bastards in that respect. And the place stinks. When you are on the train they take out their smelly shit and start eating it. Then they spit on the ground and wipe it with their foot. With a sensitive stomach that bit has been tough. Anyway I must go and try to find someone who speaks english as we are having a hard time getting a train ticket.
Bye
Des
www.desbishop.com
Monday, May 03, 2004
Greetings from London. About to head to the Airport. Just thought I would say one more goodbye. Had a lovely Dinner here in London last night. LMNT was the name of the place and there were opera singers. It was my Girlfriends birthday and the singers came down to sing Happy Birthday and it was comical. Great night. Went to see Shaun Of the Dead then and I enjoyed it but everyone hated it. Anyway must go. Normally I would write more about such an evening but the pressure is on and I have the whole City of London to get across. We are in Hackney and have to get to heathrow.
Bye Again
Des
www.desbishop.com
Bye Again
Des
www.desbishop.com
Saturday, May 01, 2004
Well this is it folks I am off in the morning. I can tell you one thing for sure, people are definitely visiting the site because loads of people have come up to me and told me to enjoy China. I have just come back from the International and Tommy was great. There was a gang of Welsh in and I thought they were not going to get him but he ripped it up. Now I must repeat this because it is such a unique Tommy thing to say. He started talking to the Welsh about them all being Coal Miners and how Thatcher closed all the mines. Then he says and I quote.....
"Lets called around to Thatchers gaff and kick her in the crinkled fanny"
Crude as that may seem it was an amazing moment to see a man like Tommy come out with such a statement. A great night had by all.
So I am hoping that there will be internet cafes in China and I will be able to check in with yous all. I hope all the keyboards do not have chinese characters on them. I have to be up in 5 hours and I have not even packed yet to be honest with you. I am bringing hardly anything anyway. I will buy a few bits that I need when I am there. I hope the forum will continue without me. I have no doubt that it will. I wich there were a few more men on it. Not because I fance fellas but in fairness it is a bit top heavy with the ladies.
I will leave you with a picture I found on the web and bid you all farewell. Till I post from one of the last communist regimes on the planet, goodbye!!!!!
"Lets called around to Thatchers gaff and kick her in the crinkled fanny"
Crude as that may seem it was an amazing moment to see a man like Tommy come out with such a statement. A great night had by all.
So I am hoping that there will be internet cafes in China and I will be able to check in with yous all. I hope all the keyboards do not have chinese characters on them. I have to be up in 5 hours and I have not even packed yet to be honest with you. I am bringing hardly anything anyway. I will buy a few bits that I need when I am there. I hope the forum will continue without me. I have no doubt that it will. I wich there were a few more men on it. Not because I fance fellas but in fairness it is a bit top heavy with the ladies.
I will leave you with a picture I found on the web and bid you all farewell. Till I post from one of the last communist regimes on the planet, goodbye!!!!!
